Seeking Freedom
by Athens89
Summary: Kagome, an unregistered miko, faces enslavement if she's discovered to be anything other than a slave. Betrayed by a fellow slave, she's forced to work for the one she's hated all her life. Can Inuyasha convince her to feel something for him besides hate?


Athens: Inuyasha is as much mine as a nine-hour nap, it won't ever happen.  
  
And even then he wouldn't be mine.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Sometimes if Kagome Higurashi closed her eyes, she could remember what is was like to spend her entire day lounging next to her family tree, the Goshinboku, all day long without a care in the world. Sometimes she recalled how it felt when she woke up Saturday mornings and just decided to stay in bed all day. And sometimes, if she really concentrated hard enough, she could convince herself that the past four years had never happened, that she would still wake up in the morning to her mother's cheerful voice and relax knowing it was all just a dream.  
  
But then reality would snap back to her in the form of the driver's whip, each strike stealing away the belief of a life before slavery.  
  
Before the arrival of the Youkai.  
  
They had always been there, Kagome scowled as she leaned to pick up the next building block of the new palace for the Inutaishos. The Youkai, or demons as some people liked to call them, had been living among humans since the dawns of evolution, using some early developed technology to use a human guise to blend in with the rest of early society.  
  
They were the ones destined to rise as the dominant species on Earth, which made sense to Kagome while pausing momentarily to catch her breath before continuing the journey to construction zone. Humans possessed the intelligence to become superior, but they were lacking in the physical strength to truly become the hierchy of the world. Youkai were intelligent, more so than humans, and extremely powerful. It was easy for a lot of the humans to accept the fact that they weren't destined to be the primary species of their planet, yet there were still some, like the Higurashis, who blanched and fought at the idea of slavery of the human race.  
  
Feeling the whip once again on her back, Kagome grunted and glared at the wielder of the weapon. Ah, Hiten. One of the many past classmates of Kagome's before the uprising of the Youkai. He had been quiet and shy, an outcast, as had many of the student-youkais were. All of the outcasts, the unpopular and even a few homeless, were all discovered to be Youkai masquerading as humans.  
  
Over sixty-five percent of the Earth's "human" population was found to be Youkai, a number that they all decided to be enough for their plans.  
  
One morning all of the disguises dropped, Hiten's hair grew long and black, his eyes narrowing and taking on a savage gleam as his fangs grew to demonic lengths. The majority of her class underwent the same transformation as Hiten, even a few of the popular kids became Youkais.  
  
It only took about three days for the human race to be completely enslaved.  
  
The highest members of politics revealed themselves, their true colors showing as they easy overpowered the human resistance. Youkai had been strategically placed in the human military, so the resistance was more of a general breakdown of all weapons. Even members of everyday families unveiled themselves, which turned out to become the one mistake that the Youkais ever made.  
  
By placing members of their species in positions to take human families, it was figured that humans would be all that much easier to overthrow. However some Youkai had grown deep bonds with their humans, claiming them to be their life-mates.  
  
The few Youkai that insisted so were bound and forced into submission with restraining spells cast by the enslaved human-mikos, who had no idea why they were casting these enchantments, and didn't really care as long as the job kept them well fed and in the level-ten slave ranks. Some of the Youkai were so powerful however that not even the mikos could keep them restrained for long, and in such cases their families were brought before them and killed mercilessly, destroying the victim's will to resist.  
  
Kagome had been separated from her family at the age of twelve, forced to work under the reign of the Western Lords, the Inutaishos. After becoming branded with the mark of a level-two slave, she had been moved to the construction zone, forced to continue serving the Inutaishos for the rest of her life.  
  
The giant gong signaled the end of the workday, allowing the slaves the freedom to pick up the last of two meals that they were granted and return to their living quarters. Kagome sighed in gratitude and dropped the heap of cement unceremoniously before making a bee-line for her living quarters, knowing that Sango would pick up her meal today. Her human friend and her had worked out a schedule between themselves; on some days Kagome would pick up the meals and grant Sango an extra twenty minutes of sleep, and some days vice-versa. Today was Kagome's turn to sleep, she thought to herself gratefully, while curling up on the beds to heal her wounds.  
  
Many of the slaves knew of Kagome's miko powers, she had grown up in a shrine for Pete's Sake! Yet wisely said nothing of it to their superiors. After all, Kagome was capable of healing their wounds as well, only a blind and idiotic backstabbing masochist would betray their own personal miko.  
  
Too bad that's exactly what Onigumo was.  
  
Kagome stilled as she felt another presence in her quarters, her hands stopping mid-gesture in the process of closing up her final wounds, and snaked out her aura. Her eyes widened when she felt it collide with that of another's, a sinister and calculating presence, and without thinking blasted the individual clear out of her room and through the wall.  
  
Looking through the gap in the destroyed stone, Kagome caught sight of Sango's horror-stricken face gazing at the now-chuckling heap of Onigumo.  
  
"Just . . . as I told you . . . my lady Kikyou," He rasped out, his eyes showing obvious adoration for the figure above him that was currently looking at him like he belonged with the scum that crusted the high brown boots that adorned her feet. "This girl . . ." He sneered at Kagome. "Obviously possesses powers that pronounce her . . . as at least . . . a level eight miko. . ."  
  
Kikyou said nothing to the now gasping shape of Onigumo at her feet, choosing instead to direct her cold stare at the defeated face of Kagome, who looked similar to a rabbit being eyed by a hungry wolf.  
  
Sango felt like crying. Her best friend, unless she did something fast, was about to be forced to restrain Youkai, murder their mates, and "entertain" the palace lords. She didn't have a death wish, if she did she would attack Kikyou head on, but she still needed to distract her long enough for Kagome to snap out of her stupor. Thinking fast, she allowed herself to fall forward towards Onigumo.  
  
"Sempai!" She wailed loudly, practically screeching. "Sempai, are you hurt? Say something, Sempai!" Sango shook him desperately yet strategically, digging in her palms into his ribs and crushing them while she rubbed back and forth. "What's wrong sempai?" His ribs groaned and snapped under her carefully applied pressure. Sango almost crowed with laughter at the deserved pain the little worm was in, but instead wailed even louder at his screeches of agony, throwing herself at the feet of Kikyou. "My Lady!" She sobbed/laughed into her clothes. "My Lady, I beg you heal my Sempai! He is so old, so ugly, decrepit, murderous, and conniving to die!"  
  
"Get off of me, slave!" Kikyou demanded in disgust. "Your precious sempai will be dealt with after the proper punishment has been dealt to this girl for using her miko powers behind the backs of her betters." Shocking Sango enough to send her sprawling, Kikyou smirked and turned back to Kagome. Sango managed a small smirk when Kikyou visibly stiffened, raising her hand to bathe the entire area in a light blue fluorescent color, her aura.  
  
Sango's smirk disappeared when she realized what Kikyou was doing. Small blotches of pink stained the blue of Kikyou's aura, showing an obvious trail towards one of the bystanders in the crowd. The blue light rushed to the slave in the blink of an eye, surrounding them in a case of aura. Gesturing, Kikyou raised the figure into the air and smiled as the slave was lifted into the air and brought back to her, revealing an unconscious Kagome.  
  
Once again raising her hand, Kikyou covered the brand that marked Kagome as a level-two miko and grinned full out. Energy crackled around the two mikos as Sango gasped helplessly, tears rolling down her cheeks at her friend's desperate screams of pain.  
  
Removing her hand, her face once again the epitome of monotony, Kikyou revealed the freshly charred skin of Kagome's hip to now bear the sign of a level-nine miko before tossing Kagome to the nearest standing youkai. The canine demon eagerly lifted the girl up and sank his fangs into brand, a sort of signature verifying her order in the youkai house.  
  
The canine, a wolf in fact, gathered the girl unceremoniously into his arms and bounded off towards the palace of the Inutaishos to completely verify the rank of the girl. Kikyou sighed in satisfaction and turned to the remaining crowd.  
  
"Why are you not in your quarters?" She asked without emotion. "It is required for all slaves to receive exactly eight hours of sleep. I would store my energy for tomorrow, especially if I were residing in the . . . house" Kikyou's nose visibly turned up. "That the miko Kagome level-nine until recently resided.in. Any slave who accepted aid from that girl and does not report it will be punished with double the workload. If you do confess, your punishments will be given to the new miko as part of her training. Am I understood?"  
  
"Traitor!" A voice called out from the crowd. "You used to be one of us! How do your morals let you do this? IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOUR CHEAP MAGIC TRICKS YOU WOULD BE OUT HERE WITH THE REST OF US!!! HOW DARE YOU BETRAY YOUR OWN SPECIES! WHAT KIND OF VERMIN ARE – "Kikyou grew tired of the rabble and spared the foolish slave a disinterested glare before allowing trickles of her energy to travel towards the still-raving human.  
  
"- HOW CAN YOU EVEN LOOK AT YOUR STINKING TRAITOROUS HIDE IN THE MORNING?" Kikyou's aura finally connected with the girls, overcoming it immediately and forcing it back into her body. A shrill scream emerged from the victim before Kikyou released her.  
  
"I grow bored with your mindless squawking, you will remain silent unless you have been spoken to, and you shall show the proper respect for your betters. All of the rest of you, take example from this idiotic human. I will not hesitate in destroying any who rise against the empire of the Youkai." With that she turned away and began striding with refined dignity towards her awaiting servants.  
  
"My lovely Lady Kikyou," She paused at the raspy pleading of Onigumo. "My Lady, what of me and my wounds? I endured them for your victory, take away my pain." Kikyou nodded curtly and entered her carriage motioning towards her servants to drive towards Onigumo.  
  
"Your pain will be taken away, of course." Kikyou stated coolly from her carriage seat, her ride nearing the place where his body lay.  
  
Sango winced as the shrill cry and crunch of Onigumo resounded in the streets, and blinked back furious tears at the injustice of the death of the little weasel. Her head turned towards her bedding and she trudged towards her, and Kagome's, room. She sat down and cried silently while she watched about seven of her occupants whisper into the ears of the youkai guard, betraying Kagome to their own pain.  
  
"Sango," A soft voice cried piteously.  
  
"Rin," She acknowledged through her sobs. Winding her arms around the younger girl's beaten form.  
  
"Not too smart of me, eh?" Rin sobbed into Sango's chest. "I-I just couldn't stand to see Kagome treated like that, I had to say something!" Rin shook in pain. "And now Kagome can't even heal us! We have to do something to help her."  
  
Sango nodded and held Rin close to her. Hopefully Kagome would be taken to the hanyou of the palace, his was decent. "Remember our old friend in fifth grade, who turned out to be a hanyou?" She asked Rin softly. "I think that if Kagome goes to him, then she'll be okay."  
  
"Sango . . . I heard what happened and came as quickly as possible." Sango looked up and met the gaze of Miroku, her monk friend, who had never become traitorous like Kikyou. He helped whenever he could, and now he turned to the wounds of Rin and worked on healing them. "I'll see if I can pull a few strings and get Kagome stationed with your hanyou friend. In the meantime, get Rin something to eat." He gestured towards the two bags in Sango's hand. "You take a quick nap and let Rin have one of those."  
  
Sango's hands shook violently as she whimpered silently. Handing Rin Kagome's bag, she sat next to the monk and sat with wavering composure. "I'm sure Kagome wouldn't want you to be so sad, Sango." Miroku gently smiled at her, taken aback when she flung herself at him and began sobbing violently. Between hiccups Sango managed to squeak out a soft "Ho-housi . . . sama . . ."  
  
Miroku sighed and wrapped a comforting arm around her, knowing that she would never say his name again so long as he remained a monk. But if he closed his eyes, sometimes he could remember what is was like to see Sango smiling happily at him, calling out his name without any kind of hesitation. But that was a time before he became a reluctant murderer and enslaver of helpless mates.  
  
A time before the Youkai.  
  
Athens: Alright, I needed a better ending. But now I've got the whole setting thing down, so I can start working on the actual plot and such. The story will definitely get better though, so if you're reading this, don't give up on it! I'll update if I get some positive feedback. Until then, TTFN!! 


End file.
